overload repost
by depaul1203
Summary: ed is at his wit end and need help no major charcter death
1. Chapter 1

By depaul1203

Disclaimer: Don't own Flashpoint or the characters. I don't make money on this.

Summary: Takes place fourteen weeks after Keep the Peace, Part II. Ed is at his wits' end; Donna doesn't die. Sarge doesn't retire, he just gets hurt. Wordy is still in SRU; no Parkinson's. But Jimmy does die as well as another team mate.

Author's note: want to thank ace bullets for editing this

This is the second story of Donna's Breaking, post-Keep the Peace II.

Chapter 1:

Everyone from Team One was excited that Sergeant Parker was back. He'd been back two weeks, but everyone failed to notice or see how tired and frustrated Ed was. They had all their attention on Greg.

Every day, Ed was growing more tired and angry.

Ed had been helping out with Sarge and Clark's recovery, along with Donna as they were named as Acting Sergeants in Greg's absence. Plus, Ed was putting in his time taking care of Izzy. On top of that, he was helping out with Team Three, what with them being down two people.

So Ed hadn't had any time to himself. He wanted to run away, and was seriously thinking of doing just that it. He even had a bag packed in his SUV and knew where he was going to go. He was going to go to the family cottage and just stay a few days then come home. He also knew if he didn't tell anyone where he was going to go, they would hunt him down and drag him home.

He had no idea who he should tell. Maybe he would tell Donna. He knew she say nothing if she could help it. Maybe he could tell her, and she would understand.


	2. Chapter 2

By: depaul1203

Disclaimer: Don't own Flashpoint or the characters. I don't make money on this.

Summary: Takes place fourteen weeks after Keep the Peace, Part II. Ed is at his wits' end; Donna doesn't die. Sarge doesn't retire, he just gets hurt. Wordy is still in SRU; no Parkinson's. But Jimmy does die as well as another team mate.

Author's note: Thank you for the one person that is following this story. And thank you for the vistor. Thanks ace for editing this.

Chapter 2

Ed came in to do the pre-shift work out, but nothing looked good. He just didn't have the energy, which Spike picked up on for the first time.

"Ed, are you okay?" Spike asked. "Moving a little slow there?"

"I'm fine," replied Ed. "Just a little sore. So I'm taking it easy today." He didn't want to say he actually felt like crap and that his body was achy.

"Okay, if you say so," said Spike, but he knew something was wrong by the way Ed looked. His pale complexion was a give-away something wasn't quite right.

Irritated by Spike's response, Ed got up from the mat where he was sitting and got into Spike's face, yelling at him. "What was that, Scarlatti?!"

Shocked by this sudden outburst, Sam, Leah, and Jules jumped up to separate Ed and Spike. Sam got in between them, trying to calm it down.

Ed was still yelling. "What do you mean by 'Okay, if you say so'?! Answer me!"

Leah pulled Spike back. Jules was trying to calm Ed down, but he wasn't listening to anyone.

Spike help his hands up, meaning no harm, "I didn't mean anything by it; you just look exhausted."

Finally someone noticed, Ed was thinking.

Angrily, Ed muttered, "I am fine. Do I need permission to take it easy?"

Sam was still standing in the middle of Ed and Spike.

"No, you don't, Ed," said Spike. "But if you want to talk, I'm here." With that, Spike walked off to the locker room to change and talk to Sarge and Wordy.

But Ed was not fine—far from it. He felt like everything was falling apart on him. He didn't know where to turn. He felt like he was drowning.

After Spike left to go to the locker room, Sam and Leah went back to finish their workout. Ed sat back down on the mat, fighting tears. Jules sat down next to him in an attempt to get him to open up to her. She put a hand on his shoulder and asked, "Do you want to go talk?"

"No. I'm fine, Jules," Ed said evenly.

"Okay, Ed. But I'm here when you want to talk," she said calmly.

Ed just shook his head yes. But he knew if he said he anything he would start to cry.

Jules knew not to push, but also knew it was serious if Ed was fighting tears. Before Jules got up she asked, "You want to use the bike?"

Ed shook his head no. He didn't want to do anything but run away.

Spike walked into the locker room and asked Sarge and Wordy if they had a minute.

Both men replied they did.

"What do you need, Spike?" Greg asked.

Spike told them what happened with Ed.

"Are you okay?" Wordy asked. "Ed didn't hit you, did he?"

"No, it never got physical," Spike replied. "I'm fine, but very worried about Ed."

Sarge and Wordy said they would talk to him.

"Okay, thanks," Spike said with relief. "I'm going to go check on Babycakes."

After Spike departed, Wordy and Greg knew they had a problem on their hands.

"There is something really wrong," said Wordy. "Eddie is never like that. I do know he's been under a lot of stress lately. I mean a lot of stress."

Greg nodded. "I know, and we will talk to him."

For the day's shift, Sergeant Parker decided to have a patrol day. He also wanted Ed with him or Wordy to try to get him to talk. Because Ed really needed to to talk.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer : I don't own.

author note: I don't know when I will be able to update. My Grandpa got very sick and other stuff going on. So please be paitance with me. I will update as soon as i can.

Overload

Chapter 3:

Greg and Wordy walked out of the locker room. Both were shocked to see Eddie sitting on the mat, still fighting tears. Jules looked at Greg with tears in her eyes because she was so worried about Ed. They all were, but he wasn't talking to anyone at all. Sam tried to talk with him but got nowhere with him.

Greg and Wordy shared a worried look, knowing this was not right. Sarge wordlessly flagged the team over for them to change while Wordy quietly walked over to Ed. He knelt down next to him and tried to get Ed to make eye contact, but when Wordy put his hand on his shoulder, Ed got angry and shoved Wordy.

"Ed, sorry; I will not touch you," Wordy said. "But Ed… are you okay? You know you can talk to me."

Ed said, "I am fine. Just leave me alone. Where were you when everything was falling apart? Just LEAVE ME ALONE!" He started to shove Wordy again.

Troy, seeing this happening, went over to help Wordy. However, Wordy signalled for Troy to stay put and that it was okay.

Wordy was confused by Ed's accusation. He asked: "What did you mean by where was I when 'everything was falling apart'? I was here. All you had to do was ask."

"Screw you!" yelled Ed, angrily springing up from the mat. "Leave me alone! Go away!"

"Sorry, buddy, I can't do that," Wordy said, trying his best to ignore his friend's shocking outburst. "I hear you, Ed. Let's just slow it down."

As soon as Wordy said 'I hear you' and 'slow it down', Ed lunged at Wordy and took a swing at him, knocking him down. Troy, Tom, and Greg rushed in to intercede. The trio grabbed Ed to pull him off Wordy. Ed was still enraged and blinding fighting them. They struggled for a few moments, but finally managed to get Ed off Wordy. Troy and Tom both still had a hold of a struggling Ed's arms, not letting go.

Greg was trying to get him to listen, but Ed's blind rage prevented him from wanting to hear anything he tried to say.

Donna ran up to help, but it soon became evident that her presence wasn't going to be working either. Ed just wasn't listening at all.

Sarge turned and asked Wordy: "Are you okay? What did you say that set him off?"

"No harm," Wordy replied, even though he was bleeding from his mouth and nose. He quietly repeated to Greg what he'd said to Eddie.

"Man," Greg said, rubbing his head, wondering how they were going to get Ed to threat level 'yellow' because he was at 'red' right at that moment with no sign of change.

Greg really didn't want it to come to this, but he decided to ask Wordy to leave to see if that would help de-escalate things.

"Wordy," he said gently, "I need you to walk away for a few. Let Jacob help you get cleaned up. I don't want to do this, but it's for your safety. And maybe it'll get him to calm down. I'm sorry."

With a brief nod of understanding, Wordy slowly walked away with Jacob, a Team Two member.

"You okay, Wordy?" asked Jacob, when they were out of sight and earshot of Ed.

Wordy let out a breath. "Yeah, I'm okay. I never thought Ed would do that."

After making sure Wordy was in good hands, Sarge made another attempt to speak with Ed, who was finally starting to calm down a bit. Greg knew he couldn't say what Wordy had said, because that would set Ed off again. Troy and Tom finally let go of his arms, silently hoping he wouldn't lunge at Greg.

Ed was still so angry at his team, thinking they didn't care about him. No one was there when I was trying to hold the team together and my family together, he thought.

Sarge said to him: "Talk to me; I want to help."

Slowly, Ed was inching back to threat level 'red', and started to pace and growl. Greg stayed quiet, deciding to let Ed talk or not talk. Finally, Ed said spoke. "You know what? Screw you, too. I'm leaving, and you are not going to stop me."

Greg did his best not to react negatively, even though he was stung by Ed's words. "Copy that," he said, "but where are you going to go?"

Again, Ed said, "Screw you! Not telling you a thing."

Ed made the move to leave. This was the last thing Greg wanted because he didn't really trust his friend's state of mind. He stepped in front of Ed to keep him from exiting.

"Eddie, come on," he said, keeping his voice as calm as possible. "Where are you going? I just need to know you're gonna be somewhere safe."

Donna piped up, hoping she might be able to get an answer. "Ed, you don't have to tell Sarge, but can you tell me where you want to go. I can even take you there."

Ed looked at Donna like maybe she was trustworthy. Donna put her hand out to Ed, and Greg stepped aside, allowing Donna to take over. He could sense she was getting through to Ed.

"Donna, I don't know where I want to go," Ed admitted. "But I'm leaving."

"Okay," said Donna, "but let me go with you. We'll go wherever you want. You don't even have to talk…"

"No way," Ed retorted. "You're not going anywhere with me." Angrily, he turned and made the move to go.

During this time, Sam was breaking into Ed's locker. After a few seconds, he found what he was looking for: Ed's car keys. He palmed them quickly and closed the locker door.

Returning to the main floor, Sam secretly showed Greg he had the keys. Greg just cocked his head as if to ask how he'd done it, and how it was a clever move. Even though it was most certainly going to drive Ed deeper into his anger, it would at least keep him safe for the time being by preventing him from leaving SRU headquarters.


	4. Chapter 4

disclaimer : I don't own

author note : Thanks Ace for editing . You truely do a wonder with a story. Side note : I am so sorry ity has been slow going. Alot of stuff has been going on. So please be paitence with me. I am currenly working on the next chapter.

Overload

Chapter 4

Donna was till trying to talk Ed down to maybe find out what was going on. But Ed wasn't listening at all. He really just wanted to run away or go someplace where there was peace and quiet so he could sleep and then deal with everything.

Out of frustration, Ed finally just yelled at everyone: "Screw you! Leave me alone! "

Troy stepped up and asked Ed if he wanted to go to the locker room to go talk. Everyone was trying to get him to calm down. But Troy noticed Ed was shaking and looking very pale. He knew he had to get Ed to sit down or he was going to pass out .

Eventually, Troy and Greg were able to get Ed into the locker room. Inside, Ed just paced around restlessly. All of sudden, Ed started to gag like he was going to get sick. He ran to the toilet and started to bring up everything he'd eaten and drunk. Dry heaves followed. Troy grabbed a cold wash cloth to put on Ed's neck and knelt down beside him, talking quietly and rubbing his back. Finally, Ed got over his bout of nausea. Troy handed him a bottle of water to rinse his mouth.

Ed attempted to stand up, but got dizzy so Troy helped him up and to the bench.

"Do you want to go home, Ed ?" Troy asked gently.

Ed simply nodded his head yes.

"Okay, we'll get you there," said Troy. "Is Sophie home?"

Ed just nodded yes again.

"All right. Sit here for me. You copy?" Troy said meaningfully.

Once more, Ed gave an affirmative nod.

Troy walked quietly over to Greg . "I honestly don't know if he will go with anyone from your team," he said. "Ed seems very angry at you guys."

Greg sighed in agreement. "I don't think he'll go with one of us, either, and I don't know why. So who can take him home? He can't drive himself."

"If he'll let me, I can take him home and help his wife get him to bed. Or Donna can take him. Whoever he is willing to go with," Troy said.

Greg slowly walked up to Ed. "Buddy, can I take you home?"

Without a word, Ed shook his head no.

Trying not to sound hurt, Greg said: "Okay, who can take you home, then?"

"I'll drive myself," Ed replied sourly. "Or if that's not okay, Troy or Donna or Jules."

"You can't drive yourself but Jules can take you, or one of the others can," Greg said. "I'm going to go get Jules, okay?"

Ed nodded yes.

Relieved at even this small concession from Ed, Greg yelled for Jules, and she came running. "Can you take Ed home and help Sophie with him?" Greg asked.

"Sure I can," answered Jules.

"Good," Greg said. "Take one of the SUVs in case we get a hot call that you will need to meet us. I'll call Sophie and try to explain what happened… and then we seriously need to sit down and figure out what happened."

Troy and Greg finally got Ed out to the SUV to go home. Sam handed Jules Ed's car keys to give to Sophie. Greg called Sophie and told her what happened and that Ed was on the way home with Jules and that Jules had his car keys.


	5. Chapter 5

disclaimer : i don't own

author note: Thanks Ace for editing this. Don't know when this will be updated have a couple of long weeks coming up.

Overload Chapter 5

Greg finally got off the phone with Sophie. Sophie had expressed she was surprised Ed went after Spike and Wordy. She was also worried about him, especially when Greg told her of Ed getting sick.

"Sophie, I'm sorry for what happened," Greg had said. "We're going to try to figure out what exactly happened."

"Greg, you guys have been friends for a very long time. You'll figure it out, and I'll sit down with him to see if I can get anything out of him," Sophie had said.

"Okay Sophie," Greg then said. "If you need anything let us know we. We'll send someone to come and help."

"Okay, Greg. Thank you," Sophie had concluded. "I'm going to go get some stuff ready for Ed."

Greg then said his byes, and went to find Wordy to check on him.

Meanwhile, Jules was in the driver's seat of the SUV with Ed as her passenger.

Knowing of his earlier bout of nausea, Jules said carefully, "Ed, if you need me to pull over, just let me know, okay? And if you want to talk, fine. If not, fine. I am not going to push you, okay?"

"Okay, Jules," Ed replied weakly with tears in his eyes. He let a few slip down his face. Jules just reached over and gave his hand a squeeze.

She was getting more worried by the minute. She knew they messed up big time, but knew they were going to fix it.

Quietly, Ed said: "Jules, I'm not really angry with you, or Sam, or Donna. Because I understand you've just been married and Donna's lost three of her teammates and other personal stuff that happened... I am just so tired."

"Ed, I'm sorry," Jules said. "I should have noticed. But with everything that was going on, I just didn't. I should have checked in on you like you did for all of us. But why are you angry at the rest of the team?"

Ed wouldn't answer that just question. He merely looked out the window with tears in his eyes.

Without Ed even fully noticing, Jules pulled up to the Lane residence. Jules had to prompt him. "Ed, do you need any help getting into the house?"

Ed simply nodded yes, he needed help, but he was upset that he needed the help.

"Okay," Jules replied. She stepped out of the SUV and went around to the other side. She opened Ed's door, put her arm around his waist, and helped him inside.

Sophie, who'd been watching for their arrival, immediately came to the other side to assist with Ed.

"Ed, do you want to go upstairs and go to bed or stay down here?" Sophie asked, noticing right away how exhausted her husband appeared.

"Upstairs," muttered Ed. "Just want to go to bed. Please… just to bed."

"Okay, Eddie," Sophie said. "We will get you to bed, okay? But you have to help us some… All right?"

Ed nodded yes.

With much struggling getting Ed upstairs and to bed, they finally managed it. Sophie pulled Ed's shoes off his feet and tucked the blankets around him before grazing his forehead with her lips.

Jules and Sophie quietly walked downstairs after Sophie made sure the baby monitor was on to hear Ed.

Jules took the opportunity to apologize to Sophie.

"It's okay, Jules. You didn't know. Eddie hid it from everyone," said Sophie. "Even if you would have asked, there was no way Ed would have told you anything. He needs to appear strong all the time and not be human."

"Okay," Jules said. "But if you need anything, let one of us know."

Sophie gave Jules a hug. "Thanks," she said. "I will."

Back at SRU headquarters, Greg quietly walked up to Wordy, who was sitting in the briefing room, trying to figure out what happened and how to fix it. Greg felt really bad for Wordy.

"How you holding up, buddy?" Greg asked quietly.

Wordy's lip was swollen from the punch he took from Ed. "What did we do—or what did I do?" he asked miserably. "That was not normal for Ed at all. In the twenty-something years I have known him, he has never done anything like this."

"I know, Wordy," Greg said with a sigh. "We'll figure it out; I promise. But maybe just give Ed some space for tonight. He is pretty sick right now. He threw up in the locker room and was dizzy. We will sit down as a team—including Sam and Donna—to figure this out. He might have said something to someone and we didn't realise it. It might have been something small he said that might put this puzzle together."

Wordy nodded thoughtfully at this.

"I need to go check on the rest of the team, okay?" said Greg.

"Okay, I'll come, too," Wordy said.

In speaking with everyone else, all of them reported the same thing Wordy had, which was that Ed had never before reacted the way he had that day. Greg was unable to check on Sam and Donna because they were on a hot call, so he planned to check on them later.

Greg took it upon himself to advise Commander Holleran that Ed had been sick and that Jules had taken him home.

He didn't say anything about the breakdown, and Greg knew no one say anything about it, either. Jacob even offered to stay to help, but Holleran had assigned Team One as back-up to the other teams.

However, Holleran still realised something unusual was going on.

"A word, please, Greg?" Norm asked, and beckoned Sergeant Parker into his office.

When the two men sat down, Norm said: "Your team needs to figure out what is really going on with Ed. Copy?"

It was all Holleran needed to say for the message to be received.

"Copy," Greg said with a grave nod, and excused himself.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer : I don't own

Author note : Ace thank you so much for beta this to me.

Overload

Chapter 6

Greg went back to the team in the workout area and said: "Listen up! First, we are going to do patrolling and inventory today. We are back-up for the other teams. Then we're going to the Goose to talk after shift. This includes Sam and Donna."

"Copy," all of the team replied together.

Just then, Jules called Greg to tell him she was on the way back.

"How are you doin', Jules?" Greg asked gently.

"I am beyond worried," Jules admitted. "Ed didn't say much on the way to his house. Oh, great! I forgot to give Sophie his keys. Sam and I can drive his car home for him."

Jules didn't realize at the time that Ed had a bag packed to run away. Had she known it was in his car, she would have been even more worried.

"Fine, you can do that after we go to the Goose," said Greg, explaining his plans for after their shift.

"Okay," Jules responded, and hung up.

The day went very quietly. None of the team really talked much throughout the patrol and inventory. Even Spike didn't say much; they we all worried about Ed and trying to figure out what happened.

During their own shift, Sam and Donna rode together and talked about the events of the day involving Ed.

Donna motioned for Sam to shut off his microphone.

With a curious expression, Sam shut it off his mic and asked, "What's going on?"

"I am worried about Ed," she said, not wanting anything that they talked about to be recorded, and therefore be part of their team's official transcript. "What happened today was not normal, but maybe it was time. Winnie and the Commander both said something to me about Ed. I even called and offered to look after Izzy the other day, but he turned me down; said he didn't need my help. He just said 'goodbye' and hung up. And that was that."

"Wow," Sam said. "I called to see if he needed anything and got almost the same answer. I think he is FINE right now. But maybe some sleep will do him good."

Several miles away at the Lane residence, Sophie went up to check on Ed. He was trying to take off his pants and shirt because he was having a hot flash, but Sophie knew it would follow with a freezing chill. She patiently helped Ed out of his clothes, then to the bathroom and back to bed with some juice. Ed didn't say much of anything during this time. Sophie was worried about him being so overheated and exhausted. She had a feeling he was going to get a lot worse before he got better. Giving him a kiss on the top of his head, she finally went back downstairs to call her mom to see if she could watch Izzy for the weekend at least. After Sophie explained how sick Ed was, her mom didn't hesitate.

"I can watch her. I don't want Izzy getting what Ed has. Let me pick her up after school come get her stuff. She can help me. We'll be back on Saturday for the bake sale on Sunday."

Full of relief, Sophie said: "Great, Mom. Thanks."

Hours later, Team Three was finishing up their patrol. As soon as Donna and Sam walked into HQ, Greg asked to speak to them.

He asked how they were doing, and about their personal reactions to Ed's earlier outburst. Sam and Donna both said pretty much the same thing as the rest of them, which was that Ed had never done that before. Both Team Three members admitted Ed had been know to yell, but never to the levels they witnessed.

Greg listened carefully and nodded. "We're heading to the Goose to talk about it, and it includes you two. Be there; that's an order."

"Copy that," Sam and Donna replied in tandem.

After Team One's shift concluded, they moved on to the Goose along with Donna and Sam, as per Greg's order.

But before Sam and Jules got there, Sam got into Ed's car to drive it to the Goose. Upon climbing in, he noticed the overnight bag in the back seat. Curiosity got the better of him, and he went through it. After realising what was inside and what it meant, Sam instantly concluded they were dealing with a bigger problem that Sophie needed to know about. Sam couldn't believe Ed would run away, but wasn't very surprised. He simply had no idea how he was going to break it to the team.

When Sam got to the Goose, he sat in Ed's vehicle for a few moments to collect his thoughts, trying to decide the best course of action. Eventually, he pulled out his cell phone and texted Wordy to come out to the parking lot to meet him.

Wordy puzzled at the message, but nevertheless excused himself from the rest of the group to head out to Sam. When he reached Ed's car, Sam was waiting with Ed's bag.

"I had to show somebody," Sam said grimly. "Look at this. Tell me I'm not jumping to wild conclusions."

Wordy peered inside and spied a change of clothes, a book, and some alcohol.

"We have a big problem," Wordy said, tacitly agreeing with Sam's own assessment of the situation. "Let's go in and talk to the rest of the team."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer : don't own sadly wish I did.

Author note : thanks Ace for beta this. This story has been very hard to write.

Overload Ch. 7

At the Goose, Greg was sitting and listening to the rest of the team while waiting for Sam and Wordy to come in.

"Wordy will be right back," Spike said when he walked in. "He got a text message and had to step out side for a moment."

"Okay," Greg responded. "We will wait for them to come back in."

Minutes later, Sam and Wordy entered the bar with Ed's overnight bag. At the sight of the bag, the whole team had a puzzled look on their faces.

Before anyone could say anything, Sam held up his hand, indicting he wanted a chance to speak first. "Let me explain," he announced. "This is Ed's bag. It looks like we have a bigger problem than Ed simply going off and being exhausted."

Greg slowly stood up and opened the bag. When he saw what was in it, he slowly sat down in shock because he could not believe Ed was thinking of running away. He couldn't think of where Ed would go if he did, but needed to find out why. Wordy gently put his hand on Greg's shoulder. Greg was thinking maybe Ed's car shouldn't be returned to him yet; not until they sat down with him and talked.

Donna and Jules both had tears in their eyes not believing Ed would take off. And both knew they messed up big time. But how were they going to fix it?

Greg decided right there Ed's car shouldn't be returned until he or someone talked to Sophie and voiced it to the team.

Jules spoke up. "Boss, Ed isn't mad at Sam, Donna, or me, so one of us could talk to Ed and find out the real reason behind the bag—and if he was actually going to run away."

Wordy felt awful that Ed was mad at him and the rest of the team, but had no idea why or how to fix it.

Meanwhile at the Lanes' house, Ed woke up and barely made it to the bathroom to get sick, but he had nothing to bring up, just dry heaves. Sophie grabbed a cold rag to put on his neck and began rubbing his back, talking quietly to him to comfort him. She knew he was miserable, but also knew he ran himself down to this point. She was waiting patiently to talk to him about what was going on. Sophie knew he needed to talk to someone. If he didn't, she was worried he would do something uncharacteristically stupid. She simply had no idea what was going through his tortured mind.

When Ed got back to bed, his thoughts were: How am I going to run away without a car? How will I get away when I'm so sick I can't move without being dizzy?

Ed moaned when he remembered his bag in his car. Knowing if someone was bringing his car to his home, whoever brought it would see the bag and ask "Why?" and he didn't know how to explain why. But for some reason, he hoped it would be Sam or Donna that brought his car. Either one of them would sit and talk with him in such a way that he wouldn't have to get defensive about what going on. With Team One, however, Ed felt that they wouldn't understand or even listen. He also knew some thoughts he was thinking and feeling were not right or healthy.

Sophie was sitting on the bed next to him and Ed started to weep. He couldn't explain why he was crying, so Sophie lay down and held him 'til he shed the last year Sophie was starting to grow more worried than ever because Ed didn't cry openly very often. Finally, Ed fell asleep. Sophie stayed in bed with him for a while until she knew he was asleep for the time being.

Meanwhile, the team was still talking about what happened, but the consensus was not to give Ed his car back yet.

"I'll call Sophie to explain we are not bringing his car back tonight," said Greg. "I'm hoping she wouldn't ask too many questions."

Sophie answered the phone in a hurry before it woke Ed. Greg explained the team didn't think it was safe for Ed to have his car. He went on to explain why and what they found. Sophie was shocked and agreed not give it back yet.

"I'll hide my keys and have Clark do the same thing," she said, and they finally rang off.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own.

Author note: want to thank Ace for editing these 2 chapters

Overload Chapter 8.

Sophie was waiting for Clark to get home from being with his girlfriend to tell him to hide his keys.

When Clark finally made it home, Sophie came out of the family room to talk to him. To Clark's eyes, his mother appeared worried and scared. Clark was nervously looking at her, wondering what happened; fearing the worst.

Clark asked quietly, "What's wrong? Is it Dad?"

"It is your dad," Sophie said very gently, so as not to worry her son. "But he is home sleeping." Then she quickly explained what happened. Clark sat in shock after hearing that his dad had attacked his best friend.

"Wow," he said. "I can't believe Dad would attack Uncle Wordy. That's not like him… Although... A couple of days ago I asked Dad a question, and he got mad at me."

"Oh, Clark," said Sophie. "I am so sorry. But it wasn't you. Your dad doesn't feel well. But Clark, I really need you to hide your car keys."

Nodding, Clark said, "I understand. I'll go hide them right now."

Up in his room, Clark hid his keys in his lock box, then came back downstairs to watch some TV, hoping to take his mind off the crisis that was occurring with his father.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer:still don't own

Overload Chapter 9:

Back at The Goose, Team One—along with Donna and Sam—were figuring out who would try to talk to Eddie. They all knew he had to talk—and soon—for his safety.

Greg sadly knew he wasn't going to be able to talk to Ed because Ed was mad at him for some reason he could not determine. Wordy was out, too. Greg looked over at Wordy and noticed his lip was swollen and he had the beginnings of a black eye. Greg was so upset about everything, he felt he had to fix it.

Donna spoke up with tears in her eyes. "I will try to talk to Ed. Hopefully he will listen to me, but not tonight. He really needs the sleep more than anything at this moment."

The team decided that was the best option and made sure they all knew if they thought of anything else to call Sarge or Wordy. The information would then be relayed to Donna for when she talked to Ed.

Before they left, the team needed to figure out what to do with Ed's car, because there was no way he could have it back yet.

"Why not the Barn?" Jules suggested. Turning to Sam, she added: "Or our place."

"No on the Barn," Greg said. "Dropping his car at your place would work, but I do not want you having his keys. How about Rollie taking his keys?"

The team agreed to that.

Greg stepped out to call Rollie Cray to see if he could keep Ed's keys for a few days while they dealt with Ed's issues. After Greg explained what happened, Rollie agreed to take the car keys for Ed's safety.

Donna was the first one to leave because she was tired and needed to be home with Hank. Spike left next, just wanting to get home to Winnie. Greg was waiting for Sam and Jules but had a feeling Sam wanted to talk to Wordy.

"Wordy, you doing okay?" asked Sam.

Wordy stared up to the ceiling helplessly. "Sam, what did I do so wrong?"

"I don't think you did anything wrong," Sam replied. "I just think it was one too many things. He has been so stressed out with taking care of everything, he forgot to take care of himself. But he will be okay; he just needs time and sleep. Also talk to someone. I really don't care who he talks to, as long as he does."

With sadness, Wordy said, "I wish I had noticed something was wrong. I wasn't a very good best friend."

"Wordy, I didn't notice either," Greg interjected. "Ed hid a lot of it from everyone. But as Sam said, give him sometime; he will be okay."

"I didn't notice either," Jules added. "We all let him down. He has picked all of us up at one time or another and we dropped the ball on picking him up. We will get him through this."

"Thanks," Wordy said in appreciation. "I'm going to head home now and try to explain to Shelley what happened. Hope she doesn't get too upset. I have no idea what I'm going to say or how to say it."

"Just tell her," Greg advised. "She will understand Ed was just angry."

Jules, Sam, and Greg all left to drop off Ed's car, and then to give Rollie the keys as planned.

At SRU Headquarters, Rollie was waiting to take the keys.

"Thanks for doing this, Rollie," said Greg.

"Sarge, are you okay?" asked Rollie.

Sighing, Greg took his hat off to rub his head and face. "I'm worried about Ed," he admitted. "He's never done that before, and I am also worried about Wordy. I just hope they can work it out soon."

"They will," Rollie said confidently. "Ed is so very tired right now. Give him time. Might have to back off a bit, but he will come around."

Even though he was no longer on Team One, Rollie had noticed before everything happened that Ed was looking more exhausted than usual.

Greg gave a tired nod and said, "I'm going to head home. Thanks for everything, Rollie."

He and his former teammate shook hands, said their good-byes, and parted ways.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: don't own

Author note : thanks ace

The next morning, Ed woke up at 10 a.m., still feeling very tired and achy. Clark was sitting in a chair by the bed reading a music book on his tablet. When he heard his dad let out a moan, Clark looked up to see his dad awake. He jumped up from his chair and sat gently on the bed next to him.

Clark asked quietly, "How are you feeling, Dad?"

Ed just looked at Clark with a very confused expression because he didn't know how he had made it home or how long he had been sleeping.

"Dad, what's wrong?" asked Clark, seeing Ed's distress.

Ed's eyes welled up with tears. "How did I get home?" he asked. "And how long ago?"

"Aunt Jules brought you home yesterday and helped mom put you to bed," replied Clark. "Mom said you had a very bad day yesterday, but she didn't explain what happened."

"Okay," Ed murmured, and went to get out of bed. He almost fell on his face because he was weak and dizzy. Fortunately, Clark was able to grab him before he fell. He yelled for Sophie to come.

Sophie came running upstairs to see Clark struggling to help Ed to the bathroom. She went to the other side to lend assistance. Sophie could see Clark was worried; she was, too.

After they got Ed back into bed, Sophie asked what Ed wanted to eat, since it had been many hours since he'd had anything.

"Not hungry," Ed replied. "I just want to sleep."

"Eddie, you can sleep after you eat," said Sophie, rubbing his back. "You can sleep all you want."

Ed just nodded okay, so Sophie asked again what he wanted, but he did not reply.

"Dad, how about oatmeal?" Clark asked, trying to be helpful.

Ed made a face, so that was a no.

"How about eggs and bacon?" Sophie offered.

Ed nodded yes, but asked: "French toast?"

"Sure," said Sophie, encouraged by this. "Now, do you want to stay up here or come downstairs?"

"Downstairs," Ed answered.

So Sophie and Clark helped him down to sit on the couch and watch TV.

Sophie went to make breakfast, but she had also made up her mind to try to sit down and talk with Ed about what was going on; Clark was going to go see Dean after eating.

Author's Note:

Next up: Sophie talking to Eddie.

Clark talks to Dean and Greg, and maybe a talk with Donna in the next chapter or so... Depends on where my muse goes with Clark and Greg and Sophie.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own flashpoint. If I did Donna would be a live.

Author nite: I want to thank Ace bullets for editing this. And I am so sorry it is so late been going through a lot of stuff.

Overload

Chapter 11

After Ed and Sophie ate breakfast, Clark cleaned up then headed to see Dean with the hope that his parents would be able to talk.

Sophie sat down on the couch with Ed, hoping to get him to open up. Ed really didn't want to, but knew he needed to speak to his wife. In truth, he really wanted to go back to sleep because he was still feeling quite terrible. He simply wasn't in the mood to explain to Sophie he craved rest.

It was soon evident to Sophie things were still pretty bad, because Ed couldn't keep his eyes open. He kept nodding off in the middle of what she was trying to say.

Sophie gave up after the third attempt. "Ed, what's going on?" she demanded in frustration.

Ed gave up trying to hide his exhaustion. "I am so tired unbelievable tired," he said with heavy sadness. His voice took on a pleading tone: "I don't want to see anyone at all. Please, don't make me see anyone today."

Sophie gently tried to calm him down and was shocked Ed was begging. "Sweetheart, you don't have to see anyone. I can call Greg and let him know you are not up for company today."

Ed growled at the mere mention of Greg's name.

Sophie realised she had entered dangerous territory. "Okay," she said quickly, "I don't have to call Greg. I can call someone else—I can call Jules. Would that be all right with you?"

Ed just nodded his yes.

"Okay, I can do that," said Sophie with relief. "Do you want to lie on the couch and sleep some?"

"Yes. I can't make it upstairs," Ed said in a quiet voice, and curled up with his head buried in one of the cushions.

While Ed dozed on the couch, Sophie called Jules.

"Sophie, hi," Jules said when she answered her phone. "How are you doing?"

"I am tired, but okay," Sophie replied. "I just need a small favor…"

"Okay," Jules said.

"Can you pass it on that Ed still isn't well enough to see anybody? He really didn't want me to call Greg. Please tell Greg I am so sorry."

"I can do that right now for you," Jules said. "Please tell Ed to feel better, and I am here if he wants to talk. I know Donna is going to go over and try to sit down and talk with him soon."

"Okay, as long as it is not today," said Sophie, remembering Ed's pleading that he didn't want to see anyone.

Jules and Sophie said their byes and hung up. Jules quickly walked into the briefing room and related to Team One what Sophie told her; they all agreed to not bother their troubled team mate.

Ed slept off and on for the remainder of the day. Despite the rest, he was still feeling miserable.


	12. Chapter 12

**_Disclaimer: don't own ._**

 ** _Author note_** :. I want to thank Ace for betaing this . Ace does wonders to my stories.

Side note I will be working on a couple more stories one flashpoint another blue bloods. The blue bloods will be roughly based on a true Story .

Overload 12

Clark finally made it to the Parker residence to talk with Dean. He knocked on the door, and when Dean answered, he saw an upset and worried Clark which instantly made Dean worried.

Dean said gently and quietly, "What's wrong, buddy?"

"It's my dad," Clark replied. "He isn't doing good at all." He went on to explain what happened last night and this morning.

"I heard part of what happened," said Dean, "but not all of it. I don't think my dad realized how bad it is. Let's sit and put our heads together; see if we can figure out what's going on. Okay?"

"Okay," Clark said, and the two of them went into the living room to continue their talk.

Dean began by asking: "Did you notice anything unusual about his mood before last night?"

Clark sat and thought about this. Slowly, he said, "Yes, I did. He snapped at me a couple of days ago for asking him a question, but he was dozing off and I didn't realize he was. Before that, I noticed he'd lost some weight and looked exhausted.

Dean asked, "Was the weight loss and exhaustion before the bombing when my dad was in the hospital or after? Or both?"

Clark said, "Both. At first I thought it was because of having to kill the bomber that almost killed you and Dad. But now that I think about it, it's more than that. We were all worried about your dad and Aunt Donna and me, also. Nobody realized he needed help, too. He single-handedly did everything for everyone else. Nobody helped him by giving him a break. We have to talk to the team. I wonder if they are patrolling today or training...?"

"That has to be it," Dean said. "Now how do we fix it? Let me call my dad and find out if we can head down to HQ."

As Dean was on the phone with his dad, Clark called to check on his own father.

When Greg answered and heard what Dean had to say, he said, "Sure, come on down. I will round everyone up and we will sit and talk."

"Okay, see you there," Dean said, thanking his father, and ended the call.

Meanwhile at the barn, Greg rounded up Team One. "Briefing room, fifteen minutes. Dean and Clark are coming and said they have to talk with us."

The team said, "Copy", all the while wondering what was so important for the teens to come so unexpectedly. Nevertheless, they met up in the briefing room as instructed.

Upon arriving at SRU headquarters, Dean and Clark were set to explain everything they had come up with, but first, Clark wanted to talk to Wordy alone and apologize to him for his dad's outburst of violence against him.

"It's okay," Wordy assured the youth. "I just want to know why, and how to fix it."

"I can help with the 'why', but not with the how to fix it," Clark said ruefully.

Dean and Clark finally sat down in the briefing room with Team One to talk to them about their conclusions about Ed.

The whole team sat in shock, but knew Clark and Dean were absolutely right.

Greg was the first one to say anything. "I should have noticed something was up. When I got back, I should have made him take a break. Or at least but him in the truck more or even Sierra One more."

"No, boss," Jules put in. "It is not your fault. We all share the blame on that. And you didn't know, either. Spike was the only one to pick up on it."

Wordy said, "I am his best friend and failed him. I am going to fix it, but I need to talk to him."

"Sorry, Uncle Wordy," Clark said. "That will have to wait for a day or so. My dad is still very ill and doesn't want to see anyone."

"That's okay," said Wordy. "Let him know we are here and your Aunt Donna will come over sometime."

"All right," Clark agreed. "We have to go now. I need to get home and help my mom with my dad."

Team One bid him goodbye, and the youth left feeling relieved that they had finally found the answer to what had caused Ed's troubles.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: don't own

Author note : so sorry posted the wrong chapter. Thanks again Ace for editing this .

Overload 13

Ed was still feeling terrible, so Sophie decided to make a doctor's appointment for him. It happened that he'd slept all of Saturday and Sunday, eating very little those days. He was still sleeping by Monday morning. Her worry for him was also felt by Jules and Donna, both of whom had been calling to check on Ed.

One of the times Donna called, Sophie reported with sadness Ed was still sleeping.

"Maybe you need to make Ed an appointment to see a doctor," Donna calmly suggested. "Just to make sure he is okay."

"Okay, I will. But how will I get him there when he can barely move?" She couldn't imagine having to call an ambulance for something as simple as seeing the family doctor.

"I can come help," replied Donna. "Or better yet, Sam will come help."

Relieved, Sophie said a grateful thanks and hung up to call their physician. Fortunately, there was an opening for an appointment at 3:30 p.m. that afternoon. She texted Donna the information.

Donna, Ed's appointment at 3:30 p.m. today. -Sophie

Donna texted back: okay Sam will be there by 2:30 p.m.

One final text a couple seconds later,

Thanks. -Sophie

* * *

Back at the barn, Donna sought out Sam. "Sophie texted me the time of Ed's appointment," she informed him. "It's at 3:30 p.m. today; I told her you'd be there at 2:30 p.m."

"Copy that," he said. "Let me go get the keys from Jules."

"Okay. And thanks, Sam," said Donna.

While on his way to get the keys, Sam wondered why Donna had wanted him to get to the Lane residence a full hour before the appointment. He didn't think it would take even fifteen minutes to get to the doctor's place, and it was never fun sitting in a room full of other patients. Nevertheless, he followed through with the request. Sam got to Sophie's and Ed'st place at 2:30 p.m. on the nose, and would quickly come to realise exactly why he needed to get there early.

When Sophie opened the door for him, she gushed, "Thank goodness you're here. Ed refuses to get up. I really need help."

"I will get him up," Sam said calmly, but in the back of his mind he wished Greg or Wordy were there to assist with the task.

True to Sophie's warning, Ed was uncooperative and extremely reluctant to move. After much pleading, cajoling and fighting, they were finally able to get Ed up and dressed for the appointment. The whole ordeal had taken half an hour; the next step would be to actually get Ed out of the house to the vehicle. If Ed had been difficult about simply getting up and getting dressed, Sam didn't want to imagine what the struggle would be to move him outside.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own.

Author note: Thanks Ace for editing this .Truly you do wonders.

Overload: Chapter 14

Sam and Sophie still had problems getting Ed to the car with Ed fighting them the whole way.

The entire ride, he sat with a defiant glare on his face. Sophie tried talking with him but he turned his head to the window not wanting to talk to anyone. Because frankly, he didn't like anyone at that moment. Ed was extremely frustrated with everything and was thinking some not healthy thoughts.

Ed knew these thoughts needed to be addressed with the team and Sophie, but he still wasn't ready to talk. All he wanted to do was sleep for a long time, and no one understood that. Sam looked over to notice Ed's shoulders shaking because he was crying. Sam wanted to reach over and touch his back in a gesture of comfort, but wasn't sure if Ed would hit him or not. So Sam quietly asked, "Ed, are you okay? Do I need to stop?"

Ed growled, "I am FINE. No need to worry. We can skip the doctor and go back home."

Patiently, Sophie said: "Ed, we can't do that. You need to be seen."

"Fine," Ed angrily replied. He was so frustrated that he was crying again, but it wouldn't stop.

When they finally got to the doctor, Ed got out of the car with Sam's help because he was feeling weird and weak.

Without much delay in the waiting room, the doctor called in Ed, and Sophie accompanied him.

Sophie explained to Dr. Leonard O'Doull what was going on with Ed, and how bad Ed was feeling.

Dr. O'Doull checked over his patient and told them that Ed had a nasty viral infection that everyone was getting.

"It is going to be a week or more," he declared. "All I can do is just treat the symptoms with an OTC, and recommend Ed to get some rest. No work for two weeks, at least."

Normally, Ed would balk at this, but this time felt nothing but relief that he could just rest. Sophie noticed this but said nothing. She was just grateful she didn't have to fight him on this point.

Sophie asked Dr. O'Doull if they could have a note that would excuse Ed from duty, and the physician hastily wrote one up. At the same time, Sophie was wondering how she could get the note to Greg, because she figured Ed wouldn't want to talk with him, or go in to SRU headquarters.

After tucking away the note in her purse, Sophie and Ed shook hands with Dr. O'Doull.

"Ed, I hope you feel better," the doctor said in parting. "Just get some rest. I know you work hard and it is okay to take time for yourself and to voice it to others."

When he heard those words, Ed was in tears again. He simply didn't know what else to do but cry.

As soon as Ed stepped out of the doctor's office, Sam immediately noticed he was crying again and looking very pale with dark circles under his eyes. The younger man instantly became worried. Sophie saw his concern and was quick to reassure him. "Ed will be okay, Sam. It's just a nasty viral infection. The doctor gave him an over-the-counter medication and said no work for two weeks."

Sam was relieved to hear this, and the trio finally got into the car to head back to the Lanes' place.

Ed was sitting there in the backseat, thinking how he would love a chocolate shake with whipped cream. Without even realizing what he was saying, he found himself voicing this desire out loud.

"We can stop and get you a chocolate milkshake, buddy," Sam said. "That isn't a problem at all."

Sam stopped at Stack's to get them all milkshakes. Sophie wanted strawberry; Ed got his chocolate, as did Sam. Ed's happiness level inched upwards at the reception of this simple treat.

When they finally made it home, Ed had polished off his entire milkshake, much to the surprise of Sophie and Sam.

Once inside, Sam asked: "Ed, where do you want to rest?"

"On the couch. And thanks, Sam," Ed said.

Sophie and Sam helped Ed over to the couch and helped get him comfortable, allowing him to lay down for a nap.

In the kitchen, Sophie voiced her concern to Sam about how was she going to get Ed's medical note to Greg.

"I can take it and give it to Boss. Not a problem. I have to go back to the barn, anyways."

Sophie expressed her thanks, and retrieved the note from her purse.

"You're welcome," Sam said as he took the note. "I have to go now, but remember we're all here if you need anything."


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own

Author note: thanks ace

Overload 15

Sam finally made it back to the barn with Ed's note in hand. He was upset and so worried about Ed, unable to shake how bad he looked. Sam hoped the rest prescribed by the doctor would help, but knew he really needed to talk to the Boss privately about what was going on.

Before he could find Greg, Spike saw him and made a beeline to Sam.

"Oh, man, how do I hide this from Spike and not be rude?" Sam thought.

To forestall any questions, Sam quickly told Spike: "Ed will be okay and will be out for a few weeks," then hurried on his way because he didn't want to explain how Ed looked or the fight it took to get him to the doctor's place.

Spike, however, was a bit hurt by Sam's hasty words and was trying to figure out what he did to deserve such brusque treatment.

Wordy noticed Spike's downcast face and walked over to see what was the matter as it was obvious Spike was upset about something.

"Are you okay?" Wordy asked quietly.

"Sam said Ed will be okay and is out for a few weeks, and then just walked off without another word. Very cold. I'm wondering: what did I do?"

Wordy said, "Spike, buddy, I am sure you didn't do anything. Maybe Sam is upset about something. It probably wasn't easy getting Ed ready to go. Ed more than likely gave him and Sophie a hard time."

"You're right," Spike said. "Ed is very stubborn and hard headed, so more than likely Ed did give them trouble."

"Just give them both time," Wordy advised. "It's hard for me, too."

Meanwhile, Sam was a man on a mission to find the Boss, hoping he was by himself.

Sam finally found Greg, but he wasn't alone, as Commander Holleran was with him. This agitated Sam, and Greg looked up to see the look of disquiet on the young man's face. Holleran looked up and also saw it.

"Constable Braddock, are you okay?" asked the Commander.

"I'm okay, but I really need to speak to Sarge privately."

With a nod, Holleran said, "Okay, Sam. But if you want to talk, my door is always open."

"Thanks," Sam replied. But in the back of his mind, he was thinking he wanted to keep this within the team.

"Let's go into a briefing room so we can talk," Greg suggested to Sam.

Sam just nodded and slowly walked. Greg was getting worried about Sam, since he would normally go to Wordy to unburden himself.

Greg sat down in the briefing room, and Sam followed suit.

Quietly, Greg asked: "What's going on?"

"I can't shake how bad Ed looked, and him just breaking down in the car," Sam answered. "Boss, he was fighting me and Sophie when we were getting him ready to go. And then it was a battle to get him out the door. I don't think he is thinking straight at all. Oh, and I have a note for you from Ed's doctor."

Greg took the note and looked at it. With a sigh, he said, "Sam, maybe these two weeks is what Ed needs right now. Why do you say Ed isn't thinking straight?"

Sam thought for a few moments, and then responded: "It wasn't anything he said, but by the way he acted in the car. He looked away from us and started to cry. I got the feeling he was thinking things that were not very healthy. When he started to cry, I wanted to reach out to pat his back but didn't know how he would react. I was afraid he'd probably hit me."

"Okay, I hear you," Greg said with a nod. "And Ed will be okay. He just needs some time. Maybe call over every so often to check on him. I'll be calling Sophie tonight to check on him, too. On top of that, I'm going to have Wordy text to check on him. I don't want Ed to think we don't care, because that is the last thing he needs."

"Right," Sam agreed.

"Maybe give Donna a heads up on this since she will be the one sitting down with him. She has a way of getting Ed to listen when he won't listen to anyone else."

"Oh, Boss, speaking of giving someone a heads up... You might want to talk to Spike," Sam uttered in warning. "I kind of blew him off when he cornered me. It wasn't him; I just didn't want to explain what was going on and how shaken I was. But you're right: Donna has that way with everyone. It's one of her gifts. Talks to you like she has all the time in the world."

Smiling, Greg said: "Yes, she does. She can make you confess to things and just talk. By the way, how's she really doing?"

"She's doing okay," Sam said. "I mean, she has her days, but what aggravates her to no end is when everyone checks in on her. Not just her team, either. Other SRU teams check in on her. I do know she feels loved and protected."

"Yes, she is very much loved," stated Greg. "Everyone really is way over-protective of her than the other ladies on SRU."

Sam stood. "Thanks for the talk, Boss. Now I need to find Donna."

"You're welcome, and anytime," said Greg. "I will go find Spike."

They parted ways.

Sam saw Spike before Boss did, and told him Greg was looking for him.

"Okay," Spike responded slowly, trying to read Sam's mood. "But are you okay, buddy?"

"Yeah, I'm okay now; just was a bit shaken up and needed to have a chat with Boss. But you better go find him."

Spike felt a bit better about the situation and went off to find Greg while Sam continued on his way to locate Donna.

When she saw Sam, Donna quickly said in surprise: "Sam, you're back! How did it go with Ed?"

"Yeah, sorry. I've been back for a bit, but I really needed to talk with the Boss before I came to find you,  
said Sam. "Needed to get my head on straight again."

"That's okay, I understand," Donna said. "Had my moments too."

Sam sat and explained what happened with Ed and what was going on.

After hearing all the details, Donna sat back. "Wow," she breathed. "Thanks for the info. I'll call Sophie and see when I can come over to talk to Eddie."

Finally, the shift ended, which signalled it was time to head home.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer : i don't own.

Author's Note: Life has been very crazy lately and I was hitting a wall on this story. I am really trying on this story but Ed is very hard to write. Thanks Ace for betaing this you do wonders.

Chapter 16:

The next morning Ed laid on the couch trying to rest but he just kept thinking about everything: how many people he had killed on the job, how Clark was almost killed, about how Donna was a;most killed in the bombing , and how Greg was shot. How the team never once checked on him while he held everything up and going while Greg was out on medical leave when he was acting sergeant. He felt as if his team really did not care at all.

It was as if a dam burst. Ed simply started to cry with loud, aching sobs. Sophie came running when she heard the outburst. She was trying to calm him down but he was doing just the opposite: getting more upset. Nothing Sophie said would soothe him. Ed was crying so hard he eventually threw up all over himself. Accustomed to cleaning up such messes after the kids had been through bouts of fevers and stomach bugs, Sophie was far from being disgusted. She was able to get Ed cleaned up and upstairs to bed. It pained her deeply to see him in such a terrible state, so she lay down next to him, holding him and letting him cry. Her concern was bordering on panic due to the way he was acting, but Ed finally cried himself to sleep, sniffling and trembling as he drifted off.

After Sophie made sure Ed was sleeping as deeply has he could, she slipped out of the bedroom. Her state of panic was still at high levels as she reached for the phone to call Donna.

Donna answered the phone and she instantly heard the stress in Sophie's voice.

"It's okay, Sophie, try to breathe," Donna said gently, trying to calm Sophie down. Sophie realised just how emotional she was and forced herself to relax a little. When she was breathing normally again, she told Donna what happened with Ed.

"I don't know what to do anymore," she sighed. "I'm at my wits' end."

Worried that Ed still wasn't getting any better after numerous attempts by others, Donna said: "I'll come over after shift to try to talk to Ed. Just try to keep him calm and comfortable. My shift is almost over."

A grateful Sophie thanked Donna, and the two women ended the call. Immediately after that conversation, Donna made her way to talk to Greg, Wordy, and Sam about what happened and how she was going to talk to Ed after shift.

"I can go with you if you think it would help," Sam offered.

"I would like that," replied Donna, thinking it would be great to have backup for something like this. "Maybe you can talk to Sophie and get more info while I finish up here with my team."

"Copy that," Sam said with a nod, and pulled out his cell phone to get in touch with Sophie


	17. Chapter 17

Hi I know I have been MIA for a while. I had a personal drama and heartache going on. But sadly I will not be writing any more in this story. Dear Ed is way too hard to write. I might at one time or another work on it, but I am working on a Donna story. With maybe a few more to come again I am so very sorry.


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